Claudia at Lake Kalibari on Friday. Picture by Aranya Sen

Beauty tiptoes in where business fears to tread. If Friday saw the Tata pullout threat being spelt out, it also saw Tollywood welcoming an unlikely big-ticket import — model Claudia Ciesla from Munich.

The German hotbod — famous for posing nude and then undergoing a test to prove that her assets were natural — touched down in town to play a journalist in young Arin Paul’s comedy 10:10, also starring veteran Soumitra Chatterjee.

The 21-year-old blonde towered over the few Tolly men she met on the floor at Baruipur Rajbari, her 5 ft 9 inch frame squeezed into a short skirt and tight top. She seemed at ease mingling with the crew, reading the script and digging into some spicy chicken curry and sorshe ilish for lunch.

What prompted her to come all the way to Calcutta? The primary link can be traced to her debut film Karma: Crime, Passion and Reincarnation. “The producer of 10:10 is a friend of Shajahan, the director of Karma. Besides, I liked my role in 10:10. I am serious about my career here and want to do more Indian films,” said Claudia, who “always wanted to be an actress”.

The other big draw for the Playboy model-turned-actress, whose first film made it to Cannes this year, was Bengali cuisine. “I am so excited to be in Calcutta because it is said to have the best kitchen,” smiled the foodie, who is determined to bury her pin-up past.

“I am not here to show skin,” she stressed, as she headed for Lake Kalibari. “I would love to visit Kalighat and other temples.”

But it won’t be all piety and no party for the girl who would rather be complimented for her face than her body. So a lounge bar and a nightclub on Park Street are next on her must-go-to list, gorging on rice and fish and having a relaxed time top her must-do list for the next 15 days in town.